JPWO2019198281A1 - Refrigerator door and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The refrigerator (1) is provided with a refrigerator door (11). The refrigerator compartment door (11) is provided with a speaker (70). The speaker (70) is arranged on the side surface portion (for example, the lower end portion (11c)) of the refrigerator compartment door (11). Further, in the refrigerator (1) as an example, the facing surface (for example, the upper surface (81) of the refrigerating room door (13)) facing the arrangement surface of the speaker (70) on the refrigerating room door (door body) (11) is provided. Have.

Description

The present disclosure relates to refrigerator doors and refrigerators.

In recent years, with the miniaturization of electronic components, it has become technically possible to install electronic components having a wiring board such as a display panel and an operation panel in a refrigerator. In addition, with the progress of information and communication technology, there is an increasing demand for using household appliances such as refrigerators as information terminals by connecting them to the Internet.

In response to this trend, attempts have been made to install electronic components such as display panels, operation panels, and cameras on the doors of refrigerators. Further, it has been proposed that a refrigerator having a display panel on the door is further equipped with a speaker capable of generating sound (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-81852

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to install a speaker on the front portion of the door. However, when the speaker is installed in the front portion of the door, the heat insulating performance of the door deteriorates depending on the depth of the speaker. In particular, since many high-quality speakers have a large depth, there is a problem that the heat insulating performance of the door deteriorates as the high-quality sound of the speaker increases. Further, in recent years, attempts have been made to improve the design of the refrigerator by using a glass panel on the surface of the refrigerator door. However, if the speaker is installed in the front part of the door of such a refrigerator, it becomes necessary to open a part of the glass panel attached to the surface of the door for installing the speaker, which may impair the design of the refrigerator. is there. Further, if the speaker is installed on the back surface of the glass panel, the sound emitted from the speaker is trapped in the space between the glass panel and the door body, which leads to a decrease in sound quality and volume.

Therefore, in one aspect of the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator door structure capable of improving the sound quality of the speaker and maintaining the heat insulating performance.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a door provided in a refrigerator. The door includes a door main body and a speaker arranged on a side surface of the door main body.

In the door of one aspect of the present invention, a space is formed inside the door main body portion of the installation location of the speaker, and the sounding is performed in the space rather than the side closer to the sounding portion of the speaker. There may be a narrow portion on the side far from the portion.

In the door of one aspect of the present invention, the door main body has a sealing member that enhances the airtightness inside the refrigerator when the door is closed, and the space is formed from the side surface of the door main body. It may be formed at least at the arrangement position of the sealing member.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a refrigerator provided with any of the above doors. The refrigerator may have a facing surface facing the speaker arranging surface in the door main body.

In the refrigerator of one aspect of the present invention, the facing surface may be inclined with respect to the arrangement surface of the speaker, or the facing surface may have a curved surface shape.

In the one aspect of the refrigerator of the present invention, the speaker may be arranged below the door.

In the refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention, the door main body has a display unit on the front surface, and two speakers are provided, and the two speakers are of the display unit. They may be arranged on both sides with the center position in the width direction in between.

As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a refrigerator door capable of improving the sound quality of the speaker and maintaining the heat insulating performance of the door. Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, in a refrigerator provided with a speaker, it is possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator and the sound quality of the speaker.

It is a front view which shows the appearance of the refrigerator which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the right refrigerating room door provided in the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the right refrigerating room door provided in the refrigerator shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the part AA line part of the refrigerating room door shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a boundary portion between the upper refrigerator door and the middle refrigerator door shown in FIG. 1. (A) is a front view showing the boundary portion between the upper refrigerating room door and the middle refrigerating room door of the refrigerator according to the second embodiment. (B) is a plan view showing the structure of the BB line portion of the refrigerating room door shown in (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the part AA line part of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 6A. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the boundary part between the upper refrigerating room door and the middle refrigerating room door of the refrigerator which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the structure of the right refrigerating room door provided in the refrigerator which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the back side of the refrigerating room door shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the part AA line part of the refrigerating room door shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, the detailed description of them will not be repeated.

[First Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, as the refrigerator according to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator having a display panel on a refrigerator door (for example, a refrigerator door) will be described as an example.

<Overall configuration of refrigerator>
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the front side of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. The refrigerator 1 has a first refrigerating room in the upper stage, a second refrigerating room (vegetable room) in the middle stage, and a first freezing room in the lower stage. Further, the middle stage of the refrigerator 1 is also provided with an ice making room and a second freezing room.

The configuration and arrangement of each storage room in the refrigerator 1 is not limited to the above. The configuration and arrangement of each storage room can be appropriately changed according to the capacity and use of the refrigerator.

Further, in the first refrigerating room in the upper stage, a double door (French door) type refrigerating room door 11 (right side refrigerating room door) and 12 (left side refrigerating room door) are provided. A drawer-type refrigerating room door 13 is provided in the second refrigerating room (vegetable room) in the middle stage. A drawer-type freezing room door 14 is provided in the lower first freezing room. Further, the ice making chamber and the second freezing chamber in the middle stage are provided with a drawer type ice making chamber door 15 or a freezing chamber door 16, respectively.

The configuration of each door in the refrigerator 1 is not limited to the above. Depending on the structure, use, position, etc. of each storage room, the door of each storage room may be, for example, a double door method, a method of opening and closing from either the left or right end, a method of opening and closing from both the left and right sides, a drawer method, etc. It can be adopted as appropriate.

In the present embodiment, the surface provided with the door is the front surface (front surface) of the refrigerator. Then, with reference to the front surface, each surface of the refrigerator 1 is defined as an upper surface, a side surface, a back surface, and a bottom surface based on the positions existing when the refrigerator 1 is installed in a normal state. Therefore, when the term "front side" or "back side" is defined in the present specification, the front side or the back side is provided with reference to an arbitrary position, or the front side or the back side is directed from an arbitrary position. It means the direction. Further, in the present specification, the direction from the front surface to the back surface of the refrigerator 1 and the direction from the back surface to the front surface of the refrigerator 1 are referred to as a front-rear direction. Further, in the present specification, the direction from one side surface of the refrigerator 1 to the other side surface is referred to as a left-right direction. Further, in the present specification, as a general rule, the "right side" of the refrigerator or the refrigerator compartment door means the side corresponding to the right side when viewed from the front of the refrigerator, and the "left side" of the refrigerator or the refrigerator compartment door means. It means the side that hits the left side when viewed from the front of the refrigerator.

A display panel (display unit) 50 is installed on the refrigerator compartment door (door) 11 on the right side. The display panel (display unit) 50 is attached to the back surface of the glass panel 51 arranged on the outermost surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11. The display panel 50 can be configured to include, for example, a display panel member such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

The display panel 50 can display refrigerator operation information, refrigerator control information, in-house inventory information, calendar information, recipe information, message information, and the like. Further, for example, when the refrigerator 1 is provided with a small camera (not shown), the display panel 50 can display the image in the refrigerator taken by the small camera. Further, when the refrigerator 1 is connected to the Internet, information on various homepages obtained via the Internet can be displayed. Further, by providing an input device such as a touch sensor on the display surface or edge of the display panel, it is possible to perform an input operation according to the display content from the display panel 50.

A touch sensor (contact detection unit) 90 is provided on each of the refrigerating room door 11 and the refrigerating room door 12. The touch sensor 90 is arranged on the open end side of each of the refrigerator compartment doors 11 and 12. The touch sensor 90 detects that a human body or the like has come into contact with the touch sensor 90. Then, for example, when the touch sensor 90 of the refrigerating room door 11 on the right side is touched by a user's hand or the like, the refrigerating room door 11 is controlled to open. Similarly, when the touch sensor 90 of the left refrigerating room door 12 is touched by a user's hand or the like, the refrigerating room door 12 is controlled to open.

A speaker 70 is provided below the refrigerator door 11 (see FIG. 2). A sounding portion 72 of the speaker 70 is provided on the lower surface (bottom surface) of the refrigerator compartment door 11. Since the refrigerator 1 is provided with the speaker 70, various notification sounds or notification messages can be emitted to the user. In addition, it is possible to output audio combined with the video displayed on the display panel 50.

<Composition of refrigerator door>
Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 11 provided in the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the front side of the refrigerator compartment door 11. FIG. 2 also shows a hinge cover 27 arranged on the upper surface of the refrigerator 1. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the refrigerator compartment door 11 is viewed from its lower surface side and hinge side (right end portion 11e side). Each part of the refrigerator compartment door 11 has a front surface portion 11a as a front surface, an upper end portion 11b as a top surface, a lower end portion 11c as a bottom surface, and a left side surface based on the state of being attached to the main body of the refrigerator 1. It is called the left side end portion 11d and the right side end portion 11e which is the right side surface, respectively. In the refrigerator compartment door 11 according to the present embodiment, a hinge portion 22 is provided at the right end portion 11e, and the left end portion 11d is opened. Therefore, the right end portion 11e is also referred to as a hinge side end portion. The left end portion 11d is also referred to as an open end portion.

The refrigerator compartment door 11 is mainly composed of a door back 31 (see FIG. 4), a front member 41, a glass panel 51, a display panel 50, a heat insulating layer 25 (see FIG. 4), and the like.

The back side of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is formed by a door back 31. The front member 41 is located on the front side of the door back 31, and is arranged to face the door back 31 to form the front side of the main body portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11.

The front member 41 is located on the front side of the refrigerating room door 11, and constitutes the front of the main body portion of the refrigerating room door 11. The door back 31 is arranged to face the front member 41 and constitutes the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 11. By fitting the door back 31 into the back surface of the front member 41, the outer shape of the main body portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is formed. The heat insulating layer 25 is arranged between the front member 41 and the door back 31.

The glass panel 51 is arranged in the foreground of the refrigerator compartment door 11. That is, the glass panel 51 constitutes the front portion 11a of the refrigerator compartment door 11. In the present embodiment, the glass panel 51 is configured to be removable from the main body portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11. The outer surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is composed of a single glass panel 51. Further, in the present embodiment, the glass panel 51 is configured to cover substantially the entire front surface of the main body portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11. Therefore, the entire surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11 can be made flat, and the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator 1 can be improved.

The display panel 50 is composed of a touch panel type display panel or the like. The display panel 50 is attached to the back surface of the glass panel 51. For example, the display panel 50 is attached to the back surface of the glass panel 51 in a state of being close to the back surface of the glass panel 51 by using an adhesive. By attaching the display panel 50 to the back surface of the glass panel 51, even if the main body portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is deformed by heat, vibration, or the like, it can be made less susceptible to the deformation. Further, for example, in the case of the touch panel type display panel 50, the display panel 50 is separated from the glass panel 51 by attaching the detection unit for detecting the touch operation to the back surface of the glass panel 51 in a state of being in contact with or close to the glass panel 51. It is possible to prevent the sensitivity of the touch panel from being lowered and the operability of the touch panel from being lowered.

The door back 31 is formed of, for example, a resin plate-shaped member. The door back 31 is provided with a plurality of storage pockets (not shown) arranged so as to extend the back surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11 in the left-right direction. Further, on the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 11, a protruding wall (projection portion) 32 is formed along the outer circumference of the door. The protruding wall 32 is also called a bank, a flange, or the like.

A packing (sealing member) 21 is attached to the outer periphery of the protruding wall 32 (see FIGS. 4 and 10). The packing 21 is provided to enhance the airtightness inside the refrigerator (refrigerator chamber) when the refrigerating chamber doors 11 and 12 are closed.

The heat insulating layer 25 is made of, for example, a vacuum heat insulating material and a foam heat insulating material. The vacuum heat insulating material is a sheet-shaped or plate-shaped heat insulating material. The foamed heat insulating material includes, for example, polyurethane foam (also referred to as rigid urethane foam).

The vacuum heat insulating material is preferably placed in a refrigerator where high heat insulating properties are required. For example, in the refrigerator 1, it is preferable to arrange the vacuum heat insulating material at a position facing the display panel 50 in the refrigerator compartment door 11. As a result, the heat generated from the display panel 50 can be more reliably blocked, and the heat insulating performance of the refrigerator compartment door 11 can be improved.

The refrigerator compartment door 11 is opened and closed from the open end (that is, the left end 11d) side. Further, a side cap is attached to the right end portion 11e of the refrigerator compartment door 11. A hinge portion 22 is provided inside the side cap.

The speaker 70 is provided below the refrigerator compartment door 11. The speaker 70 is installed in a recess 73 arranged adjacent to the handle 18 of the refrigerator compartment door 11 which is recessed in the bottom surface portion (that is, the lower end portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11) of the front member 41. (See FIG. 4). As a result, a speaker having a large diameter can be provided without interfering with the glass panel 51 that covers substantially the entire front surface of the main body portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11. Therefore, the aesthetic appearance of the front portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11 can be maintained.

<About speakers>
Subsequently, a more specific configuration of the speaker 70 will be described. FIG. 4 shows the internal configuration of the portion of the refrigerator compartment door 11 where the speaker 70 is installed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the AA line portion of the refrigerating chamber door 11 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional configuration of a boundary portion between the upper refrigerating chamber door 11 and the middle refrigerating chamber door 13.

As described above, the speaker 70 is arranged at the lower end portion (lower side surface portion) 11c which is the bottom surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11. The speaker 70 is mainly composed of a speaker main body 71 (71a and 71b), a sounding unit 72, a recess 73, and a space 75.

The speaker main body 71 includes a diaphragm, a diaphragm driving unit, and the like. As the structure of the speaker main body 71, a conventionally known general speaker structure can be applied. Further, as the speaker main body 71, in addition to the above-mentioned parts, a speaker unit in which a case, an amplifier, a power supply and the like are appropriately combined may be used.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the speaker 70 of the present embodiment has two speaker main bodies 71. The speaker main body 71a is located on the left side of the refrigerating room door 11 when viewed from the front, and the speaker main body 71b is located on the right side of the refrigerating room door 11 when viewed from the front.

The sounding unit 72 is provided on the surface of the lower end portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 (on the surface on which the speaker is arranged). The sounding portion 72 is composed of, for example, a plurality of holes formed in a plate-shaped member fitted in a frame portion at the lower end of the front member 41. The sounding unit 72 is provided at a position corresponding to each of the speaker main body units 71a and 71b, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the recess 73 is formed in the lower end portion 11c of the refrigerating chamber door 11 so as to be embedded in the lower portion of the heat insulating layer 25 constituting the refrigerating chamber door 11.

A space 75 is formed inside the recess 73. The lower end portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is located in the lower portion of the space 75. The speaker main body 71 (71a and 71b) is arranged on the lower end 11c in the space 75. Further, the sounding unit 72 is located at the lower end 11c of the space 75. In the space 75, the sound wave emitted from the back side of the speaker main body 71 reverberates. That is, the space 75 becomes the acoustic space of the speaker 70. Therefore, the sound quality characteristics of the speaker 70 can be changed by changing the shape of the space 75. In particular, by increasing the distance in the back side direction (upward in FIG. 4) of the speaker main body 71, sound waves emitted from the back side of the speaker main body 71 are reflected and interfere with the diaphragm of the speaker main body 71. Can be suppressed.

In the speaker 70 according to the present embodiment, since the speaker main body 71 and the sounding section 72 are arranged on the side surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11, a space 75 is formed so that the distance in the back side direction of the speaker main body 71 becomes large. Even in this case, the space 75 expands in the direction along the front portion 11a of the refrigerating room door 11, and does not expand in the front-rear direction of the refrigerating room door 11. Therefore, the sound quality of the speaker 70 can be improved without extending the space 75 in the front-rear direction of the refrigerator compartment door 11, which requires high heat insulation.

Further, in the speaker 70 according to the present embodiment, the space 75 is narrower on the side farther from the speaker main body 71 and the sounding unit 72 than on the side closer to the speaker main body 71 and the sounding unit 72. That is, the inner dimension W1 of the space 75 near the speaker main body 71 and the sounding unit 72 is larger than the inner dimension W2 of the space 75 far from the speaker main body 71 and the sounding unit 72 (see FIG. 4). ).

In the speaker 70 according to the present embodiment, the space 75 is configured such that the inner dimension W of the space 75 gradually decreases as the distance from the sounding unit 72 increases. In this way, by gradually changing the internal dimensions of the space 75 according to the distance from the sounding unit 72, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the refrigerating room door 11 becomes larger. Since the internal dimensions can be reduced, the sound quality of the speaker 70 can be improved while suppressing the deterioration of the heat insulating property of the refrigerator compartment door 11. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable that the wall surface on the rear side of the front wall surface on which the recess 73 is formed is greatly inclined with respect to the front surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11. As a result, the distance between the space 75 and the door back 31 on the central side of the refrigerating room door 11 can be further increased, and the deterioration of the heat insulating property of the refrigerating room door 11 can be suppressed.

Further, since the cross-sectional area of the space 75 gradually changes in the depth direction (upward in FIG. 4), standing waves are less likely to be generated, and the sound waves emitted from the speaker main body 71 resonate at a specific frequency. Is suppressed. Therefore, the sound quality of the speaker 70 can be improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a packing (sealing member) 21 for enhancing the airtightness of the refrigerating room when the door is closed is provided on the back surface portion (that is, the door back 31) of the refrigerating room door 11. .. The packing 21 is provided around the protruding wall 32 formed on the door back 31 (see FIGS. 4 and 10). The packing 21 is fitted into a groove 21a (see FIG. 5) for attaching the packing.

The inside of the refrigerator compartment is hermetically sealed by the packing 21. Therefore, with the placement position of the packing 21 as a boundary, the inside of the packing 21 is inside the storage, and the outside of the packing 21 is outside the storage. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper end of the space 75 of the speaker 70 according to the present embodiment reaches substantially the same height as the arrangement position of the packing 21.

Since the space 75 is provided between the sounding unit 72 and the arrangement position of the packing 21, the space distance from the speaker main body 71 can be secured to some extent. Therefore, it can contribute to the improvement of the sound of the speaker 70.

Then, in the present embodiment, by setting the upper end portion of the space 75 at a position similar to the arrangement position of the packing 21, the heat insulating layer 25 having a sufficient thickness is inside the refrigerator compartment door 11 located inside the refrigerator. Can be placed. On the other hand, the back portion of the refrigerating chamber door 11 outside the arrangement position of the packing 21 is exposed to the air outside the refrigerator, and the temperature difference from the surface side of the refrigerating chamber door 11 is small. Therefore, even if the heat insulating layer 25 in this portion is thinned by the space 75, it does not significantly affect the heat insulation of the refrigerator compartment. As a result, even when the space 75 for the speaker 70 is provided by cutting out a part of the heat insulating layer 25, the deterioration of the heat insulating performance in the refrigerator can be suppressed relatively small.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when both the refrigerating room door 11 and the refrigerating room door 13 are closed, the sounding unit 72 and the upper surface 81 of the refrigerating room door 13 of the vegetable room provided at the lower stage of the refrigerating room They are arranged so as to face each other. That is, the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 is a surface facing the arrangement surface of the speaker 70.

Then, in the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 is inclined toward the front (see FIG. 5). In other words, the arrangement surface of the speaker 70 (specifically, the arrangement surface of the sounding unit 72) is not parallel to the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 facing the arrangement surface. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sound wave emitted from the sounding unit 72 from being reflected by the upper surface 81 and returning to the sounding unit 72.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, it is more preferable that the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 is inclined downward toward the front of the refrigerator 1. As a result, the sound wave emitted from the sounding unit 72 is reflected by the upper surface 81 and heads toward the front of the refrigerator compartment door 11, so that it is easier to transmit the sound emitted from the speaker 70 to the user located in front of the refrigerator 1. can do.

Subsequently, the details of the installation location of the speaker 70 will be described. In the present embodiment, the speaker 70 is provided on the refrigerator compartment door 11. However, in another aspect of the present invention, the speaker can be installed on a door other than the refrigerator door 11 of the refrigerator 1. In the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, a display panel 50 is provided on the refrigerator door 11. In such a configuration, the speaker 70 is preferably installed on the same refrigerating room door 11 as the door on which the display panel 50 is provided.

In the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the speaker 70 is arranged at the lower part (specifically, the lower end portion 11c) of the refrigerator compartment door 11. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that liquids such as dew condensation water generated in the refrigerator 1 or water contained in the foodstuffs stored in the refrigerator 1 enter the components in the speaker 70. Therefore, the possibility of failure of the speaker 70 due to getting wet can be reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, other doors are arranged adjacent to each other below the refrigerator compartment door 11, and when the speaker 70 is arranged below the refrigerator compartment door 11, the refrigerator 1 sounds. It will have a surface facing the portion 72 (for example, the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13). Since the speaker 70 has such a facing surface, the sound output from the sounding unit 72 of the speaker 70 installed facing downward is reflected by the facing surface (for example, the upper surface 81) and refrigerated. It can be directed to the front of the room door 11 (see the arrow in FIG. 5). As a result, the sound can be output more efficiently toward the front of the refrigerator 1.

Even in the case of a refrigerator having only one door or a refrigerator having a speaker at the bottom door, the speaker is arranged at the bottom of the door so that it is arranged at the bottom of the refrigerator 1. The bottom plate (base grill) or the like can function as the facing surface of the sounding unit.

Further, as a modification of the present embodiment, the speaker 70 may be installed at the open end portion (that is, the left end portion 11d) of the refrigerating room door 11 on the right side. In this case, the open end portion (that is, the right end portion) of the left refrigerating chamber door 12 is the facing surface of the sounding portion.

As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the speaker 70 is arranged closer to the hinge portion 22 side of the refrigerator compartment door 11. Thereby, the rigidity of the speaker 70 can be improved.

When the speaker 70 is installed on the same door as the display panel 50, the speaker 70 is arranged so as to straddle the center position (the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2) in the left-right direction (width direction) of the display panel 50. It is preferable to do so. As a result, the sound of the speaker 70 can be effectively output to the user located in front of the display panel 50.

In the case of the speaker 70 according to the present embodiment in which two speaker main bodies 71 are provided to provide stereo output, the speaker main bodies 71a and 71b are in the left-right direction of the display panel 50. It is preferable that the speakers are arranged on both sides with the central position of the speaker in between. As a result, each sound emitted from the left and right speaker main bodies 71a and 71b can be transmitted to the user located in front of the display panel 50 without discomfort.

(Summary)
As described above, in the refrigerator compartment door 11 of the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment, the speaker 70 is arranged at the lower end 11c thereof. The speaker 70 includes at least one speaker main body 71. In the present embodiment, the speaker 70 includes two speaker main bodies 71a and 71b.

According to the above configuration, even when the front surface of the refrigerator compartment door 11 is covered with a single panel such as a glass panel 51, the sounding portion 72 of the speaker 70 is not covered with the panel. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in sound quality and volume of the sound generated from the speaker 70 while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the refrigerator 1.

In the refrigerator door of the refrigerator 1, the place where the speaker is provided is not particularly limited as long as it is on the side surface (also referred to as the frame portion) of the door. It is preferable to arrange the speaker 70 at a place where an facing surface (for example, the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13) facing the sounding portion 72 of the speaker 70 exists, such as the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. As a result, the sound wave output from the sounding unit 72 toward the facing surface can be reflected by the facing surface and directed toward the front side of the refrigerator compartment door. Examples of the location of the sounding unit 72 having the facing surface include the lower end portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11.

Further, in the case of a double door type refrigerating door such as the refrigerator 1, a sounding unit can be arranged at the open end of either the left or right door (for example, the left end 11d of the refrigerating room door 11).

Further, in a configuration such as the refrigerator 1 in which a hinge cover 27 and a top plate are provided so as to cover at least a part of the upper side surface of the door, even if the speaker is arranged at the upper end portion 11b of the refrigerator compartment door 11. Good. In this case, the hinge cover 27 and the top plate serve as facing surfaces of the sounding portion of the speaker.

Further, it is more preferable that the speaker 70 is arranged at the lower end portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11 as in the refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment. According to this configuration, since the sounding unit 72 of the speaker 70 faces downward, it is possible to prevent liquids such as water from entering the sounding unit 72.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the structure of the speaker installed on the refrigerator door and its surroundings is different from that of the first embodiment. As for other configurations, basically the same configurations as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, in the following, the structure around the speaker will be mainly described.

FIG. 6A shows the appearance configuration of the boundary portion between the upper refrigerating room door 111 and the middle refrigerating room door 13 of the refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment. Further, FIG. 6B shows the configuration of the bottom surface portion (that is, the lower end portion 111c) of the refrigerator compartment door 111. Further, FIG. 7 schematically shows a cross-sectional configuration of a boundary portion between the upper refrigerating chamber door 111 and the middle refrigerating chamber door 13.

The refrigerator 1 according to the second embodiment includes a refrigerator compartment door 111. Each part of the refrigerator compartment door 111 has a front portion 111a, an upper end portion (not shown), a lower end portion 111c, a left end portion 111d, and a right end portion based on the state of being attached to the main body of the refrigerator 1. They are called 111e respectively. In the refrigerator compartment door 111 according to the present embodiment, a hinge portion 22 is provided at the right end portion 111e, and the left end portion 111d is opened.

The basic configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 111 is the same as that of the refrigerator compartment door 11 of the first embodiment. However, the refrigerator compartment door 111 is provided with a speaker 170 having a configuration different from that of the first embodiment.

Similar to the first embodiment, the speaker 170 is arranged at the lower end portion (lower side surface portion) 111c of the refrigerator compartment door 111. The speaker 170 is mainly composed of a speaker main body (not shown), a sounding unit 172, a recess 173, and a space 175.

Although the speaker main body is not shown in FIG. 7, the same configuration as that of the speaker main body 71 (71a and 71b) of the first embodiment can be applied to the speaker main body. In the speaker 170, the shape of the space 175 formed by the recess 173 and the sounding unit 172 is different from that of the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the sounding portion 72 of the speaker 70 is provided on a surface substantially flush with the lower surface of the front member 41 constituting the lower end portion 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11. That is, the sounding unit 72 of the speaker 70 is arranged on a substantially horizontal plane.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the sounding unit 172 is arranged on the inclined surface 170a which is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. The inclined surface 170a provided with the sounding unit 172 is inclined upward toward the front of the refrigerator 1.

Further, when both the refrigerating room door 111 and the refrigerating room door 13 are closed, the sounding unit 172 is arranged so as to face the upper surface 181 of the refrigerating room door 13 of the vegetable room provided at the lower stage of the refrigerating room. There is. That is, the upper surface 181 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 is a surface facing the arrangement surface of the speaker 170. In the first embodiment, the upper surface 81 of the refrigerating chamber door 13 is an inclined surface, but in the second embodiment, the upper surface 181 of the refrigerating chamber door 111 is a substantially horizontal plane. However, as in the first embodiment, the upper surface 181 may be an inclined surface.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the arrangement surface of the speaker 170 (that is, the inclined surface 170a) and the upper surface 181 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 facing the arrangement surface (that is, the inclined surface 170a) are not parallel to each other. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sound wave emitted from the sounding unit 172 from being reflected by the upper surface 181 and returning to the sounding unit 172.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, it is more preferable that the inclined surface 170a provided with the sounding unit 172 is inclined upward toward the front of the refrigerator 1. As a result, it is possible to make it easier to transmit the sound emitted from the speaker 170 to the user located in front of the refrigerator 1. Further, since the inclined surface 170a provided with the sounding portion 172 forms a recessed recess with respect to the front portion 111a of the refrigerating chamber door 111, this recessed portion can be used as a handle of the refrigerating chamber door 111.

[Third Embodiment]
Subsequently, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the structure around the speaker installed on the refrigerating room door (more specifically, the structure above the middle-stage refrigerating room door facing the speaker) is different from the first embodiment. As for other configurations, basically the same configurations as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, in the following, the structure around the speaker will be mainly described.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a cross-sectional configuration of a boundary portion between the upper refrigerating chamber door 11 and the middle refrigerating chamber door 213 of the refrigerator 1 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the internal configurations of the refrigerating chamber door 11 and the refrigerating chamber door 213 at positions corresponding to the lines AA shown in FIG. 6A.

The configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 11 according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the refrigerator compartment door 11 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, detailed description will be omitted.

The refrigerating room door 213 is a door of a second refrigerating room (vegetable room) located in the middle of the refrigerator 1. Similar to the refrigerating room door 13 of the first embodiment, the refrigerating room door 213 is a drawer type.

As shown in FIG. 8, when both the refrigerating room door 11 and the refrigerating room door 213 are closed, the sounding unit 72 of the speaker 70 is arranged so as to face the upper surface 281 of the refrigerating room door 213. That is, the upper surface 281 of the refrigerator compartment door 213 is a surface facing the arrangement surface of the speaker 70.

In the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment, the upper surface 81 of the refrigerator compartment door 13 is an inclined flat surface. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the upper surface 281 of the refrigerator compartment door 213 has a curved surface shape. Specifically, the upper surface 281 has a concave curved surface shape that descends from the rear side of the refrigerator compartment door 213 toward the front and further rises toward the front. Then, the handle 282 of the pull-out type refrigerating room door 213 is formed on the upper front side of the refrigerating room door 213 by the upper surface 281 having such a shape. When opening the refrigerator compartment door 213, the user can pull out the door more easily by grasping the handle 282.

Since the upper surface 281 of the refrigerator compartment door 213 has the above configuration, the sound output from the sounding unit 72 of the speaker 70 installed facing downward forms the handle 282 of the refrigerator compartment door 213. It is reflected by the concave surface and is concentrated in a narrow area near the front of the refrigerator compartment door 11 (see the arrow in FIG. 8). Therefore, the speaker 70 provided on the refrigerator door 11 can provide high-quality sound only to the user in front of the refrigerator 1. Further, since the reflected voice is collected in a narrow area near the front of the refrigerator door 11, clear voice can be transmitted to the user in front without increasing the output of the speaker 70, and the voice is separated from the refrigerator 1. It becomes difficult for the voice from the speaker 70 to reach the user, and it is possible to suppress the voice from the speaker 70 from making other users feel uncomfortable.

Further, the upper surface 281 of the refrigerator compartment door 213 is located lower on the front end than on the rear end. As a result, the sound can be output more efficiently toward the front of the refrigerator 1.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Subsequently, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the installation location of the speaker in the refrigerator compartment door is different from that in the first embodiment. As for other configurations, basically the same configurations as in the first embodiment can be applied. Therefore, in the following, the structure around the speaker will be mainly described.

FIG. 9 shows the external configuration of the refrigerator compartment door 311 provided in the refrigerator 1 according to the fourth embodiment. The refrigerating room door 311 is a door corresponding to the refrigerating room door 11 in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 shows the configuration on the back side of the refrigerator compartment door 311. FIG. 11 shows the internal configuration of the portion where the speaker 370 of the refrigerator compartment door 311 is installed. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the AA line portion of the refrigerating chamber door 311 shown in FIG.

In the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment, the speaker 70 is arranged at the lower end 11c of the refrigerator compartment door 11. On the other hand, in the refrigerator 1 according to the fourth embodiment, the speaker 370 is arranged at the right end portion (right side surface portion) 311e of the refrigerator compartment door 311.

Each part of the refrigerator door 311 is referred to as a front portion 311a, an upper end portion 311b, a lower end portion 311c, a left end portion 311d, and a right end portion 311e, respectively, based on the state of being attached to the main body of the refrigerator 1. .. In the refrigerator compartment door 311 according to the present embodiment, a hinge portion 22 is provided at the right end portion 311e, and the left end portion 311d is opened. Therefore, the right end portion 311e is also referred to as a hinge side end portion. The left end portion 311d is also referred to as an open end portion.

Similar to the first embodiment, the refrigerator compartment door 311 is provided with a display panel (display unit) 50 and a touch sensor 90. A speaker 370 is provided on the right side (hinge side end) of the refrigerator compartment door 311 (see FIG. 9). A sounding unit 372 of the speaker 370 is provided at the right end 311e of the refrigerator compartment door 311.

The refrigerator compartment door 311 is mainly composed of a door back 31 (see FIG. 10), a front member 41, a glass panel 51, a display panel 50, a heat insulating layer 25 (see FIG. 11), and the like.

The speaker 370 is mainly composed of a speaker main body portion 371 (371a and 371b), a sounding portion 372, a recess 373, and a space 375. As for the configuration of each component provided in the speaker 370, the same configuration as that of the speaker 70 of the first embodiment can be applied. However, the shapes of the recess 373 and the space 375 are different from those of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the recess 373 forms the outer shape of the speaker 70. The recess 373 is arranged so as to be embedded in a side portion of the heat insulating layer 25 constituting the refrigerator compartment door 311.

A space 375 is formed inside the recess 373. The right end 311e of the refrigerator compartment door 311 is located at one end of the space 375. The speaker main body 371 (371a and 371b) is arranged at one end of the space 375. Further, a sounding unit 372 is located at one end of the space 375. In the space 375, the sound wave emitted from the speaker main body 371 is reflected.

In the speaker 370 according to the present embodiment, the space 375 is once narrower on the side farther from the speaker main body 371 and the sounding unit 372 than on the side closer to the speaker main body 371 and the sounding unit 372. Specifically, the inner dimension W2 of the space 375 of the portion corresponding to the arrangement position of the packing 21 is smaller than the inner dimension W1 of the space 75 on the side closer to the speaker main body portion 71 and the sounding portion 72.

Further, the inner dimension of the space 375 is larger than the arrangement position of the packing 21. Specifically, the inner dimension of the space 375 is the maximum value W3 at the position where the protruding wall 32 of the door back 31 is formed.

In this way, by changing the internal dimension in the space 375 according to the distance from the sounding unit 372, the sound wave emitted from the speaker main body unit 371 is suppressed from resonating. Therefore, the sound quality of the speaker 370 can be improved.

The shape of the space may be such that the inner dimension W of the space 75 gradually decreases as the distance from the sounding unit 72 increases, as in the speaker 70 according to the first embodiment. it can. Further, as in the space 375 of the speaker 370 according to the present embodiment, the inner dimension may be temporarily narrowed at the arrangement position of the packing 21, and the inner dimension may be maximized at the arrangement position of the protruding wall 32 of the door back 31. .. That is, the inner dimension W of the space 375 may have a relationship of W2 <W1 <W3.

In both the first and fourth embodiments, there is a portion of the speaker space that is narrower on the side farther from the sounding portion than on the side closer to the sounding portion of the speaker.

Further, it is preferable that one end of the space 375 is located near the formation position of the protruding wall 32. This is because the thickness of the heat insulating layer 25 is relatively large at the position where the protruding wall 32 is formed. With this configuration, the distance from the door back 31 to the space 375 can be secured to some extent, so that the deterioration of the heat insulating performance due to the space 375 can be suppressed relatively small.

[Fifth Embodiment]
In another aspect of the present invention, it is possible that the refrigerator compartment door is provided with only a speaker and is not provided with a display panel. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, a refrigerator not provided with a display panel will be described.

The refrigerator 1 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the refrigerator 1 according to the first embodiment only in that a display panel is not provided. As for other configurations, basically the same configurations as in the first embodiment can be applied.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims. In addition, a configuration obtained by combining the configurations of different embodiments described in the present specification with each other is also included in the scope of the present invention.

1: Refrigerator 11: Refrigerator door (door)
21: Packing (sealing member)
22: Hinge part 25: Insulation layer (door body part)
31: Door back (door body)
32: Protruding wall (protruding part)
41: Front member (door body)
50: Display panel (display unit)
51: Glass panel 70: Speaker 71: Speaker body (speaker)
72: Sounding part (speaker arrangement surface)
73: Recessed portion 75: Space 81: Upper surface (opposing surface)
90: Touch sensor 111: Refrigerator room door (door)
170: Speaker 170a: Inclined surface (speaker placement surface)
213: Middle refrigerating room door 281: Upper surface (opposing surface)
311: Refrigerator room door (door)
370: Speaker

Claims (7)

It ’s a door in the refrigerator.
Door body and
A door including a speaker arranged on a side surface of the door body. A space is formed inside the door main body of the speaker installation location.
In the space, there is a portion that is narrower on the side farther from the sounding part than on the side closer to the sounding part of the speaker.
The door according to claim 1. The door main body has a sealing member that enhances the airtightness inside the refrigerator when the door is closed.
The space is formed from the side surface portion of the door body portion to at least the arrangement position of the sealing member.
The door according to claim 2. A refrigerator provided with the door according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
It has a facing surface facing the speaker arranging surface in the door body.
refrigerator. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein the facing surface is inclined with respect to the arrangement surface of the speaker, or the facing surface has a curved surface shape. The speaker is located at the bottom of the door,
The refrigerator according to claim 4 or 5. The door body has a display on the front surface and
Two speakers are provided, and the speaker is provided.
The two speakers are arranged on both sides of the display unit with a central position in the width direction in between.
The refrigerator according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

Images